<<

Country Club – Page 1

5 February, 2018

Dear Lion Dale, Alison and members of the Zwartkop Country Club

Your commitment and that of the Zwartkop Country Club and its members to the community service projects undertaken by your Lions Club of Centurion Lifestyle is great appreciated. It is not always possible to quantify what impact your financial contributions have made - but we can certainly assure you that it is far larger than the monetary value itself.

Your support has enabled the Lions Club of Centurion Lifestyle to be able to assist a broad sector of the larger Centurion community. Without your humanitarian support to the programs of our Lions Club the community in Centurion would certainly be a lot worse off.

The areas where your donations have been used extend from animal welfare to senior citizens, indigent families, citizens with hearing and sight problems, the disabled, facilities caring for the mentally challenged and even a local nature reserve in where your contributions have assisted us to be the first to place a four seater park bench for visitors to enjoy. Hopefully the first of many benches that we hope to place within the nature reserve. Many support projects to indigents are by their very nature not easy to broadcast to the wider community. Please, however, be aware that your generous support to the Lions Club of Centurion Lifestyle allows us to assist the community, individuals and families that happen to fall on hard times and need our support in the form of food parcels or other material aid to see them through their distress.

Some of the projects that we have been able to undertake through the kind generosity of your Zwartkop Country Club and its members over the past eight months are highlighted in the next pages:

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 2

PRETORIA DOG RESCUE - Valhalla : R2000 and ongoing

The Lions club and its members are committed to the ongoing support of this relatively new animal sanctuary. We have donated 300kg of dog food and other animal food items to the sanctuary including 8 new dog leads and packs of rice for mixing in with their dog food. We will continue to assist the Dog Rescue animals and their management team wherever we can.

BADIRAMMOGO OLD AGE HOME IN : R1200 and ongoing

This old age home located in the township of Olievenhoutbosch looks after some 18 senior citizens with various levels of mobility. Your support enabled us to have a wonderful "Christmas" lunch with the residents and staff and also be able to give each resident a top up to the gift packs each resident received. We were also assisted with donations by Centurion residents on the " People who live in Centurion " Facebook page.

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 3

THE "100 BICYCLES" PROJECT : R900 and ongoing

While this project may seem rather slow in achieving its 100 bicycles target your contributions have enabled us to market the project knowing that bicycles that have had a full life and need to be serviced and made ready for a suitable new owner.

A "new" bicycle for any child that needs one is a great gift that is made possible through your support.

UPGRADING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE "BISHOP BIRD" PARK IN ROOIHUISKRAAL : R2000 and ongoing

With your support our Lions Club has been able to commit to assist the local management team, as mentioned earlier, with the upgrading and development of this once neglected local nature reserve located in the heart of Rooihuiskraal. The club bought the first weather proof bench made from recycled plastic and has located it within the park.

This is the start of our commitment to the community to ensure that this facility is well developed and an asset to everyone that uses it.

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 4

A NEW BENCH AT THE PRETORIA BOTANICAL GARDENS : R2000

A similar park bench was able to be placed in October along one of the walks through the Pretoria Botanical Gardens.

This was our Centenary contribution together with other Lions clubs in our zone to providing more benches for visitors to the botanical gardens.

The purchase and placement of this bench was made possible through your ongoing generosity.

HOUSE OF EL-SHADDAI - R2500 and ongoing

This sanctuary for vulnerable and intellectually challenged women in Centurion has certainly seen its ups and downs this past year. We were first introduced to the really caring and committed couple that runs the facility when they were delivered 16 women that were tragically relocated from the Life Esidimeni home. Your contributions have enabled us a club to support them with ongoing food parcels, towels and other household goods to make the women there feel more comfortable.

Two of our Lions (Jannie and Louise Coetzee) have taken the House of El-Shaddai under their wing and helped them finalise a management plan, marketing brochures and guide them through the mountains of paperwork required by the State agencies to ensure their proper registration as a place of safety for women.

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 5

A WHEELCHAIR / COMMODE FOR ELLEN MUGADUZA : R1200

We were recently made aware of Ellen's urgent need for a wheelchair commode and were able to assist her with your support. Ellen is physically disabled and we were also able to assist her with a food parcel to tide her over. We will regularly follow up on Ellen's progress and assist again if needed. It is great to be able to commit to this kind of emergency need knowing that we can rely on your Zwartkop Country Club contributions for this and many other community needs.

THE DOWN SYNDROME SPORTS DAY : R3000

This is the second year that we as a Lions Club were able to provide 400 meals and healthy snack bars for the athletes and for visitors to this event that is held annually at the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.

It was a pleasure for us as Lions members to be able to use your financial support towards making this event an even greater success for the athletes.

SPECTACLES AND HEARING AIDS FOR INDIGENT RESIDENTS OF CENTURION : R3200

We are regularly asked to assist indigent residents who are unable to afford spectacles or hearing aids. We have supported at least 10 such individuals this past year with your support and through the assistance of Lions Operation BrightSight, local optometrists and audiologists. Your donations have enabled us to help people to see again and to give the gift of hearing to people that were previously deaf or almost deaf. Thank you.

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 6

THE LIONS "SNUGGLER" PROJECT : R550

Your Zwartkop Country Club staff participated in the 2017 Mandela Day activities by making "Snuggler" sleeping bags for the homeless. The 30 sleeping bags that were made were delivered to the Centurion Baptist church for distribution to needy communities. This was a great effort which will ensure a warmer and more comfortable night for many homeless residents in Centurion.

FOOD PARCELS TO INDIGENT FAMILIES IN CENTURION : R6000

There are increasing economic pressures on households due to layoffs at work, divorce and other social issues. We have been able to help many destitute families keep going though food parcel deliveries and ongoing support to these families until they are able to look after themselves again.

THE OLIEVENHOUTBOSCH LITERACY PROJECT : R800

This program is now into its fourth year. Centurion Lifestyle Lions spend an hour with a class of nine year olds' teaching them English. For many English is a totally new language that is suddenly for them for their first year at school the official language of instruction. It is a fun experience for learner and "teacher" alike. We have used your monthly contributions to be able to buy age appropriate reading books, note books and writing materials for our 100 pupils in Grade 3. This contribution by our Lions with your funds will help these learners master English as a second language and hopefully with their greater proficiency in English put them on a better career path.

Zwartkop Country Club – Page 7

2018 - CENTURION YOUTH HERO : R3000 budgeted for this project

We have embarked on a community project that will identify two young people of school-going age who have during the course of this year shown great guts and courage in overcoming whatever obstacles life has thrown at them. The financial support from the ZCC will enable us to market the awards within the larger Centurion community and provide a suitable financial award and plaque to each of the two recipients. Without you and the ZCC this would not be possible.

It has been a pleasure to be able to partner with you both and with your Country Club and its members. We have been able to achieve an amazing amount of good work within the Centurion community.

We, as Lions, can provide the willing hands to do the deliveries, hand outs and comfort to our needy community but without the security of financial support it would be nearly impossible or certainly very difficult to commit to making an ongoing difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Centurion as a community and our Lions Club is indebted to you and your members for their generosity and we hope that we can continue to do even more good work in the future.

With kind regards and sincere appreciation not only for allowing us to call the Zwartkop Country Club our "home" but also for sharing our vision to help making Centurion a better place for everyone who lives in our community.

Ryno Olivier Lion President

Lions Club of Centurion Lifestyle “Saving Lives .. Two Hands at a Time”